Vol. 577 No. 3
235 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the United Nations estimates that 5,000 women are killed every year in so-called honour killings and that the authorities in a number of states appear to accept this practice; and if he has raised this issue in international fora. [30987/03]
There can be no justification for so-called honour killings which result each year in the murder of thousands of women. While honour killings are predominantly targeted against women, children are also among the victims of these practices. Honour killings, which are mainly perpetrated by members of the same family, can be considered an extreme form of domestic violence. The Government condemns all forms of honour killings and calls for effective measures to put an end to such practices and to bring perpetrators to justice.
In the third committee of the United Nations General Assembly, Ireland was a co-sponsor of a Netherlands' resolution on the elimination of domestic violence against women which was adopted by consensus on 24 November 2003. Ireland also co-sponsored a Netherlands' resolution, again adopted by consensus, which requests the Secretary General of the United Nations to conduct an in-depth study on all forms of violence against women. Ireland believes that this study should address the question of honour killings, and looks forward to its recommendations.
